Wendy Condemns Failure of SNP Heating Programme

Wendy Alexander MSP has said she is angry and frustrated after an analysis of the Scottish Government’s heating programme showed that nine out of ten applicants did not receive new central heating.
Wendy was the minister who under Donald Dewar pioneered the original free central heating scheme programme. Over 100,000 Scottish homes benefited from a free or replacement system under the old labour scheme.  The current Scottish Government scrapped this scheme in favour of a means tested replacement that Wendy and other labour colleagues warned would not be as effective. 
Analysis found that despite 1108 enquiries in Renfrewshire from people who were eligible for help from the Energy Assistance Package, just 127 or 11.5 per cent, of these received a new central heating system.
Worse, only half the budget to tackle fuel poverty was spent – with just one month of the financial year left. The Scottish Government has also admitted, in response to a Parliamentary Question, that just £24.8m has been spent from the Fuel Poverty budget of £50.6m with only one month to go.
Wendy Alexander said:
“These figures show that the this heating programme isn’t working. Nine out of ten people in Renfrewshire  who ask for help from the new Energy Assistance Package don’t receive new central heating.
“This is a record of failure that Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Neil should be ashamed of. They are letting down Scotland’s pensioners. In contrast, the previous Scottish Government’s central heating programme provided over 100,000 homes with new central heating systems.
“We have just had one of the coldest winters in decades and, even though we are now in May, there is more snow forecast for this week on the hills. I intend to press the minister to intervene urgently to find out why this scheme is not delivering for more families and get it fixed.”